1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a medium-feeding device and a recording device comprising the medium-feeding device, the medium-feeding device comprising feeding unit for feeding a fed medium in a feed direction; first separating unit provided downstream in the feed direction relative to the feeding unit, the first separating unit being capable of separating a fed medium that has been multi-fed; and second separating unit provided downstream relative to the first separating unit, the second separating unit being for compressively holding the fed medium that has been fed, thereby separating a fed medium that has been multi-fed in an instance in which the fed medium has been multi-fed.
In the present application, the recording device refers to an ink-jet printer, a wire dot printer, a laser printer, a line printer, a photocopier, a fax machine, or a similar type of device.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, a medium-feeding device provided to a recording device comprises first separating unit, second separating unit, and a rib, as shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 2009-280292. The first separating unit has a surface that is inclined, with respect to a side view, relative to an orientation of paper placed as a fed medium. A front edge of the paper comes into contact with the surface, whereby the fed medium that has been multi-fed can be separated. The second separating unit is provided downstream in a feed direction relative to the first separating unit.
Specifically, there is provided a roller for driving, and a retard roller requiring a predetermined load in order to rotate. The second separating unit is configured so that in an instance in which a front edge of a plurality of sheets of paper passes through the first separating unit, the second separating unit compressively holds the front edge of the sheets of paper. The medium-feeding device is configured so that, in such an instance, the retard roller prevents a paper sheet disposed on a side towards the retard roller from moving, and so that, meanwhile, a paper sheet disposed on a side towards the driving roller is fed further downstream by the driving roller. The rib is provided so as to be secured in place further downstream relative to the retard roller.
The medium-feeding device is provided so that the sheets of paper are separated by the second separating unit, and a front edge of a paper sheet nearest to the driving roller passes the rib. The medium-feeding device is configured so that the retard roller then moves in a direction away from the driving roller. The medium-feeding device is configured so that the rib comes into contact with a front edge of an unwanted paper sheet that has been separated by the second separating unit, and the unwanted paper sheet is prevented from moving downstream in the feed direction.